As Time Marches On
by storyteller362
Summary: In two days Wallabee Beetles was going to turn thirteen years old and it was cruddy. It was a bad day until Kuki Sanban turned it around for him with a surprise confession. One shot. 3x4. Please tell me what you think.


**Authors Note: Wow it's been a couple of years since I wrote here. My old penname used to be fictionlover94 and I wrote a ton of KND stories around 2009-2013 ish. Anyway... I am celebrating my ten year anniversary on fanfiction! I am celebrating by revisiting my first fandom and posting a story this coming June. This is more of a warm up story to see what kind of reception I get in terms of reviews and views and whatnot. If there's a decent amount I'll be posting everyday for the entire week of different pairs and stories. If there's not as much I'll probably just do the one I have planned.**

**Any and all grammar mistakes are my own and I apologize! **

**Hope you enjoy this and please drop a review. **

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Hendry Middle School started at sixth grade and ended at eighth grade. If you asked anyone, nobody in their right mind would say that they loved middle school. Especially former kids next door operatives.

Sector V would turn thirteen in seventh grade. They would have already formed a reputation by the end of sixth. After their memories were erased they could reinvent themselves by high school. At least that's what Sydney Beetles would tell his son about; the reinventing himself part at least.

"Now Wally, please don't get in trouble at school today. We just don't want to pick you up from Saturday detention again," said Sydney driving to the middle school. "This Saturday is your thirteenth birthday and you don't want to be in detention on your birthday, do you?"

From the backseat he didn't even look up green eyes locked on the sky above. Thirteen, one three, and it meant nothing and everything to him. Maybe if he did have a Saturday detention he wouldn't be decommissioned but that wasn't likely. If anything, that would probably make things a lot worse.

"Yea sure dad," said Wally before the car stopped and he grabbed his backpack. "Next time can you drop me off a block away from the school?"

Sydney raised his eyebrows and nodded saying nothing thankfully.

Climbing out of the car and practically slamming the door behind him, Wally begrudgingly walked into the school. His dad just had to make sure he got here in time. Muttering to himself he made his way to his first class. Pssh maybe he could even skip one day.

"Hey, did you get your homework done?" asked a new voice behind him. Swiveling around to see Abby Lincoln not even a foot away.

Practically sweating he mumbled something. "Yea, er, uh, here," he said digging around his dirty backpack and threw the papers in her direction. It was the best that he could do.

It was so awkward knowing that a decommissioned number five was his tutor. His TUTOR! She probably thought he was dumber then rocks. Then again maybe half his teachers thought so as well. Abby reached to pick up the papers looking it over.

"Well, you got number five right on the history homework," she said a bit dismayed. "Everything else we need to look at during study hall."

"This is stupid when are we ever going to use this again in real life?! I'm probably not going to remember half this stuff by next week."

Which was likely true too. With his luck maybe, just maybe, his decommissioning will help make him smarter. It's not like he would have daily missions anymore. Besides he was decent at school before he had joined the KND. That thought made his head hurt wondering what else was going to change.

"Don't say that. Listen I know someone that is great at science that could help you, its Ho…"

"I gotta go to health." Abruptly he started toward the direction of his health class getting as far away as possible from her. Cruddy school and cruddy teachers. Cruddy Abby.

He made his way to his health class dragging his backpack behind him. This was an all-around bad day already. It couldn't possibly get worse could it? Then again this was just before first period as he sighed. Might as well decommission him now while he was at his lowest.

Thankfully it was a fast day too because before he knew it was lunch time. Wally glanced over at Abby sitting with some kids he didn't know near the jocks table. Part of him wanted to go over and say something but decided against it. They weren't supposed to talk to decommissioned operatives. He was lucky to get her as a tutor by some miracle allowing them to talk.

Speaking of which he glanced in the other direction at Hoagie. He was sitting with the kids that wrote on the school paper. Joe Balooka and the hall monitors talking with him too. Figures that was where numbuh 2 would end up. He always did like investigating things. The only other operative in the cafeteria was numbuh 86 and she was eating lunch by herself mumbling to herself. She had gotten decommissioned not too long after Hoagie.

"Numbuh 4?" asked a voice in front of him as something in him relaxed. Kuki snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Are you okay?"

"Not now Kuki I'm, uh…"

She blinked her big brown eyes up at him before sighing. He could use a friend right now. Wally put out his hand for her to drag him wherever she wanted to go. She took his hand and pulled him in the opposite direction of Abby and Hoagie. Until they were just outside the doors of the auditorium. It was quiet around with only a few kids eating their lunches on the floor.

"Are you worried about your birthday?"

How did…? Then again, Kuki was smarter then she looked as he remembered seeing her math test. She had gotten a cruddy A+ on that test. Although what if someone saw them? He glanced around making sure that they were alone. Kuki looking at him concerned and pulled at his arm as if begging for an answer.

He really wished that this wasn't happening at school. Never mind that didn't seem to matter and Wally took a deep breath.

"I guess I am. I don't want to be thirteen Kooks. It's not fun being a teenager. I mean look at them!"

With emphasis he thrusted out a hand to gesture to the student body. Everyone talking and laughing without a care in the world. Kuki smiled as she saw a friend wave to them as she waved back. Nobody was doing anything evil right there underneath their noses.

"Uh, numbuh four…"

"They don't know what it's like to get their minds wiped. They have every single memory of being a kid. The kids next door won't go to their houses first thing they wake up on their birthday."

Kuki's eyes were welling up with tears. He didn't want to make her cry but then again he was about to himself.

"Go ahead and cry. It's true, you'll be the only one left. Then there will be a new sector in our treehouse someone new will move into numbuh 1's house. Next thing you know we're cruddy adults and they'll be fighting us. I don't want them fighting us Kuki. It's not fair!"

Wally pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them. Ever since Nigel left it felt like everything was falling apart. He didn't want to start crying, not here and now in the middle of lunch. He peeked up surprised to see her face very much dry as she sniffed.

Kuki looked down at her hands and hugged him. "Of course, it's not fair numbuh 4." Wow that was comforting he thought bitterly. "Do you remember what you said to numbuh 5 when we first faced father?"

He shook his head not even remembering what he had for lunch yesterday.

"Numbuh 1 was turned into an adult and numbuh 5 said that if we fought him we might be get turned into adults. You said that no one's a kid forever. Then we went to the delightful children's mansion together. Growing up is scary but we do because we have to just like you said. It might not be fun, but we can make it fun."

Wally's head jerked up and jaw dropped. That was actually, really, um, what was that word his dad used before? Profound of her to say and wise. Kuki grinned at him with a tiny smile on her face.

"That's um, really great advice Kuki. I'll remember that, I think…"

She laughed and pulled him to stand up. "Do you feel better now Wally?"

Numbuh 3 stood close to him and Wally froze. It was kind of nice to have her hug him and touch him and everything. He flushed wondering what to say before throwing her arms around him hugging tightly as she squeezed. Smiling more to himself Wally let her hug him patting her shoulder.

"Yea I feel better. Kuki promise me after this Saturday, after my thirteenth birthday find me okay? I know they said that we can't talk but I want to remember yo… us. You don't have to say much just sit next to me at the cafeteria or something."

Crud, he nearly slipped saying you. He wanted to remember everyone, especially numbuh 1, but Kuki was something special. Her face seemed to stay lite up and threw aside the rules for him.

"Of course!" Her voice even more chipper then usual. "We'll be friends again and maybe…" Her dark brown eyes glanced over at him and bit her bottom lip. "Maybe we can be more then friends one day."

Wally nearly felt his heart skip wondering that too. Did that mean that she liked him back all this time? This was practically his last chance to tell her how he felt. It was only Thursday after all and he wasn't going to chicken out. Not this time. Taking a deep breath green eyes met her brown a smile on her face.

"Kuki there's something I gotta tell ya. It's really hard to say and…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Kuki closed the gap between them and kissed his cheek. His cheek felt her lips and part of him died. This was amazing before Kuki pulled apart her cheeks red too.

"I want you to know before you get decommissioned that I really really really like you Wally. I think you do too and I wanted to tell you before lunch was over."

The bell rang signifying the end of lunch. He would have to go back to math and he really couldn't concentrate in that class. Kuki had turned to leave before taking her hand and pulling back to kiss her cheek too.

"You're right Kuki, I do really really like you too that is." He coughed innocently, the redness on his cheeks didn't even die.

The grin on her face never faded. The look in her eye seemed to say that she knew all along. "I'll see you at the treehouse."

With that she was gone heading to her history class. Heart still thudding he watched her leave, a few people curiously glanced at them wondering what happened. That didn't matter though. Wallabee Beetles' day went from terrible to amazing in less than a twenty-minute lunch. Kuki really liked him, what other miracles would happen today?

Following the crowd to his class his thoughts never left from their conversation. Suddenly, he couldn't wait for Monday and have her eat lunch with him.


End file.
